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Instant Reaction: Iowa Hawkeyes Embarrassed by Penn State
An instant reaction to Iowa’s blowout loss to Penn State on Saturday
Penn State entered the game with a lot of doubters, myself included, surrounding their ranking in the initial College Football Playoff. The Iowa Hawkeyes have underachieved in every sense this year, but there was still hope as a six-point favorite.
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It didn’t last long, though.
Penn State ran with Saquon Barkley early and often, and Iowa looked like they forgot to game plan for one the best running back in the nation. Barkley finished with 167 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, as well as getting behind the defense for a 44-yard touchdown reception.
Missed tackles, poor angles taken by defenders and just bad defense in general were common themes for the Hawkeyes’ defense. Penn State rushed for 359 yards, with four players rushing for at least 30 yards. Trace McSorley accounted for 40 yards on the ground and completed 11-of-18 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
Offensively, it was even worse for the Hawkeyes. Penn State’s defense started to get to C.J. Beathard near the end of the game, and Iowa rushed for a mere 30 yards on 1.2 yards per carry.
LeShun Daniels Jr and Akrum Wadley combined to gain 46 yards on 19 carries, a miserable 2.4 yards per carry. Still, Iowa felt inclined to run on every third and short, despite Penn State sniffing it out every time. The Hawkeyes only converted 2-of-10 first downs, as a result.
A bright spot is that Jerminic Smith and Wadley both had a receiving touchdown. But a roughing the passer on Penn State helped set up Wadley’s touchdown and Smith scored at the end of the blowout. Still, the fact that Penn State had a hard time containing Wadley in the open field is a good sign and something Iowa needs to utilize more.
At the start of the game, Penn State marched down the field on their first drive for a touchdown, and should have led 10-0 after the first quarter, but Josey Jewell blocked their field goal attempt. Iowa didn’t score until they were down 21-0 and only forced two punts all game.
Despite being down early and needing to gain momentum on offense, the Hawkeyes continued their predictable runs, short throws and slow tempo. They started to play at a faster pace at the end of the third quarter, but quickly went away from it at the start of the fourth quarter.
Aside from their unwillingness to change things up on offense late in the game, Iowa’s defense only got worse, as well. Tommy Stevens, Penn State’s backup quarterback, rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on five carries, and backup running back Miles Sanders averaged 6.8 yards per carry. Penn State manhandled a usually stout defense that keeps Iowa in games.
There’s a lot more to say about Iowa’s fourth loss of the season. Although, all you really need to know is that Iowa went down 21-0 in the first half, gave up 599 total yards, only gained 30 rushing yards and Penn State shredded Iowa’s defense all game
I guess the only thing left to say is: BRING ON MICHIGAN.
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